


All About the Tree

by arrafrost



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Tree, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-18
Packaged: 2017-11-21 12:06:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/597567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrafrost/pseuds/arrafrost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin buys the tree for the first time after moving in with Arthur. Despite it's unfortunate Charlie Brown quality, Merlin likes it but Arthur is having too much fun mocking it's lack of an upright top.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All About the Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SerenitySky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenitySky/gifts).



> Christmas gift for Serenity Sky, my Steve who wanted some Merthur for xmas <3

“What are you doing?” Arthur’s judgmental voice called from behind but Merlin refused to turn around. He was too busy admiring his master piece and plotting out exactly how he was going to finish designing it.

“Decorating our Christmas tree.” He responded, evoking a scoff from his yuppie of a boyfriend.

“Is that was that is?”

That made Merlin spin around on his heel, eyes boring in Arthur who was staring at the beautiful tree he’d picked out all on his own. Arthur’s hands were on his hips and he had a bemused grin as his eyes shifted from the tree to his boyfriend.

“What do you think it looks like?”

Merlin watched the way Arthur’s eyebrow rose above his hairline, skepticism ready to tumble out of his mouth because he was a prat like that. “It looks like your Charlie Brown tree is going to spring up and tear a hole in the ceiling of my apartment.”

“Our apartment.” Merlin corrected.

“My apartment, you just live here.” The playfulness wasn’t lost but it didn’t make Merlin return the smile. He quite liked his tree, even if it may have gotten a little… injured at the top during the trip from the store to the apartment. It’s top, not even touching the ceiling, was still bent over and tilting down due to how it was squished into the van. He was actually lucky the top had stayed on and the wood had merely bent instead of snapping off entirely.

“Real hospitable on Christmas, Pendragon.”

“It’s not Christmas for another week.”

Merlin glowered darkly at how pleased Arthur looked with himself but, instead of starting an argument that wouldn’t lead anywhere, Merlin took a deep breath and turned back around to face his beautiful in its own right tree and the boxes of decoration sat around the base.

“One ornament and that thing’s going to tip over.” Arthur commented when Merlin pulled out a small box of Christmas balls to put on the tree. He’d already put the multiple strings of lights and garland around the tree while Arthur was at work, now he just needed to put the smaller ornaments on.

“Bah humbug to you too.” He muttered as the hung a red ball on one of the branches. The branch bounced with the new weight but did not tip over like Arthur had falsely predicted.

“Maybe it’ll take more than one. Better even out the weight on the other side.”

“Unless you’re going to help, Pendragon, keep your mouth shut.” Merlin growled, hanging a green one up near the top and mixing the green and red evenly on the tree to spread the color out.

Surprisingly, Arthur stood back silently and watched while Merlin emptied that box and moved on to smaller gold and silver balls. Merlin was able to get through the four boxes of balls, the small box of ornamental snowmen, and two boxes of small diamond shaped glass ornaments before Arthur finally spoke up again. Only this time he was standing directly behind Merlin, breath hot on the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

“How exactly are you going to put that star on the top?” Arthur poked Merlin in the arm and Merlin flexed his hand around the large, gold star that would glow if he plugged it into the outlet on the end of the lights at the top of the tree.

Merlin looked up to the significant lack of an upright top to the tree…

“See, you’re thinking that – unlike this tree – I have a point.” Arthur grinned, lips moving against the shell of Merlin’s ear.

“I could… um… use… well you see… we don’t need a tree-topper.” Merlin stammered, trying to resist falling back into the warmth of Arthur’s embrace. It was incredibly tempting to let himself go, to stop being angry at Arthur’s lack of Christmas spirit. But Arthur was being more of a prat than usual and he didn’t deserve to have Merlin melt in the palm of his hand like he normally did. It was Arthur’s suave voice that did him in, it was ridiculous for him to possess the amount of charm that would put a Disney prince to shame. At least when he wasn’t being a clotpole.

“I think we do need a tree-topper. What kind of Christmas tree doesn’t have a topper? We’re not peasants Merlin, not on my salary.”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed and he pulled away, turning on Arthur immediately. “What does that mean?”

“Merlin, come on. I’m only saying that if I bought the tree then-”

“No, you always do that Arthur. Stop flaunting the money you make in your  _Daddy’s_ law firm.”

“I don’t flaunt, Merlin. I just…  _have_  and you… well, you don’t. It’s fact, I can’t help it.” Arthur tried to crawl out of the hole he’d gotten himself into but Merlin wasn’t having any of it.

“You do it every year, Arthur. Buying the most extravagant things, getting me expensive presents that put the ones I give you to shame. If I hadn’t insisted in taking over the Christmas decorations this year you would have had the most perfect hand delivered tree that your money could buy and we wouldn’t even be having this argument because the damn tree would be pre-decorated.”

“Well… yeah. That’s what I did every year before you moved in. Why would  _not_ having this argument be a bad thing? I’d much rather not be having this argument right now.”

“Because not everything is perfect Arthur! Not everything comes pre-made and sometimes it’s the thought that counts and the effort that you put into the things you love that make the difference! It’s not always about the stupid money!”

Arthur sighed, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth as he averted his eyes from Merlin. They stood in silence for a few moments, Merlin beginning to cool down and Arthur finally bringing himself to speak. “You know I’m not trying to say that my Christmas traditions are better because I have money. I barely have any traditions… I’m just used to what my father did all the time.”

It was true, what he was saying. Merlin couldn’t really blame him for going along with family traditions. After all… that’s what he was doing.

“And I’m not saying my gifts are better because they’re more expensive. I love what you get me, every year. No matter what you get me… it’s perfect because you know me better than I know myself half the time. You get me exactly what I need and want. You’re right. It doesn’t matter how much it costs.”

Merlin blinked, looking everywhere but Arthur as the blonde stepped closer.

“Merlin, I’m sorry…” That sneaky bastard, letting that… tone slip into his speech. The one that made his resolve vanish in a second and replaced it with inappropriate thoughts that would imply they weren’t arguing anymore.

“I didn’t mean it. You know I didn’t. I talk around the foot in my mouth all the time. Usually you just ignore me and call me a clotpole – which is not a thing.”

“Of course it’s a thing. It’s standing right in front of me.” Merlin couldn’t help but grin as Arthur crowded his personal space, taking the star from his hand without any resistance and dropping it into the box of leftover garland.

The smirk on Arthur’s face was positively devious as he wrapped his arms around Merlin’s waist and pulled their bodies flush together. Any protests that Merlin could muster were lost when Arthur’s lips pressed against his in a tender, apologetic kiss. His lips moved sensually, slowly, tongue nudging its way into Merlin’s mouth and licking away any sour words that could be lingering there.

The kiss left Merlin dizzy with desire as Arthur pushed against Merlin to lead him to the nearest surface behind him. Merlin’s steps, unsteady as they were, continued backwards until he found his body pressed into the tree, pine needles and decorations poking uncomfortably into his back. Their kiss ended abruptly, Arthur burying his face in Merlin’s neck as their bodies shook with laughter. Merlin was going to have fun forcing Arthur to pick all the pine needles out of his hair because this was clearly his fault. He was also going to make Arthur fix the few decorations that he heard clatter to the ground…. and maybe they could use string to tie the star to the ‘top’ of the tree.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] All About the Tree, by Arrafrost](https://archiveofourown.org/works/656871) by [Silvermoonphantom (Daitoshi)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daitoshi/pseuds/Silvermoonphantom)




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